Ralph Ziman joins artist Makiko Maekawa for a special Contemporary Kids program. They will be teaching kids how to use various objects, paint, and paper to create contemporary works of art.
This is a drop-in event. Doors open at 12pm and visitors may begin the project any time until 2pm. Most visitors complete their artwork in 30-45 minutes and are invited to view the exhibitions before they leave. Contemporary Kids is open to all ages.
Parking is free in the lot at Bankhead & Means Street (Google Maps Location). You can access the lot via Bankhead Avenue and proceed past the parking attendant booth.
About The Casspir Project
The Casspir Project charts the locus of the South African military vehicle’s legacy of institutional oppression — a legacy with which we are still reckoning. The central element of the project is one of reclamation.
The central element of the project is one of reclamation. The restored and refitted Casspir vehicle, its surfaces fully covered in elaborate, brightly-colored panels of glass beadwork, arrayed in traditional patterns was completed by artisans from Zimbabwe and the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, including women of the Ndebele tribe, known for their craftsmanship.
Since it’s debut SPOEK 1 has travelled throughout South Africa, stopping at The Turbine Art Fair, Johannesburg (July 2017); Everard Read Gallery — Keys Art Mile, Johannesburg (July 2017); and The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg (September 2017). The vehicle arrived in the United States in May this year and was part of Special Projects at the fourth edition of 1-54 New York and, most recently, was on view at Pioneer Works, New York through the summer.
I remember columns of Casspirs, ten or fifteen, heading for the East Rand Townships of Daveyton and Katlehong,” Ziman says. “Heavily armed paramilitary police sitting casually on the roofs brandishing automatic weapons. I remember Casspirs flying at high speeds down the narrow, potholed streets of Soweto. I remember how the South African police would park two Casspirs in the road to form a blockade, forcing drivers to slow into an S-shaped route for tense inspection.
Ralph Ziman’s practice is motivated by a sense of social responsibility toward global politics. Using imagery that is at once vivid and dark, he comments on serious issues such as life under apartheid, the arms trade and trophy hunting. His work extends across a variety of media, including film, photography, public intervention, sculpture, and installation.
Makiko believes kids have magical power in creativity and imagination. She is originally from Japan and studied photography in Baltimore, MD. As a child she learned that art is universal language that allows kids express their power. She currently lives in Atlanta and creates art in mixed media including photographic images.
Join curator Yehimi Cambrón and the artists behind the exhibitions Piel con Piel and WE KEEP US SAFE for a thought-provoking panel discussion exploring the intersection of art, activism, and collective care.
led by Tatiana Bell (WE KEEP US SAFE) and Maya Wiseman
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We invite you to experience WE KEEP US SAFE and contribute to this growing archive of love, resilience, and justice. Together, we are greater than ourselves.
